Every Ending Is A New Beginning
by Mrs Pepperpot
Summary: What do you get if you take a popular Labyrinth movie fan theory and the ending of said movie and mess around with it a bit? Why, you get this one-shot-fanfic, of course! What if every girl who ran the Goblin King's Labyrinth was called Sarah?


**What do you get if you take a popular Tumblr Labyrinth movie fan theory and the ending of said movie, and mess around with it a bit? Why, you get this one-shot-fanfic, of course. I can't post links on this site, but I took the essence of the fan theory by glamdamnit, which has also been written about in articles by i09 and BuzzFeed, and put my own twist on it****.**

**N.B – This story was first published back in November 2014. I have re-edited it and slightly rewritten it since then. No major changes were made other than a change of character name (Ratten to Ratner). **

**I do not own anything related to Labyrinth or the theory by glamdamnit****.**

**Please do let me know your thoughts on this fic if you should have any, and thank you for taking the time to read it - Mrs P.**

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><p><span>Every Ending Is A New Beginning<span>

Jareth assumed all was lost as he fell into nothingness. Clock chimes rang out and time fragmented around him. It was over. And then, just as suddenly, it wasn't.

The next thing he knew, he was in owl form, flapping around disoriented in the hallway of a mortal dwelling place. Thanks to an open window, he escaped out into the night sky. After a short flight, he swooped down and landed on a branch of a poplar tree next to a small window. There he saw Sarah, partying with his subjects. She won, he lost, and yet it didn't seem to be the end. He flew away from the celebration of her triumph and found he was spiralling into blackness.

A booming voice echoed through the void.

"_The curse is broken," _it said.

"How can it be? Jareth's voice came out as a desperate owlish shriek. "I wanted her to be _my _Sarah, but she turned me down."

"_She is the one, and it is done." _The voice, imbued with solemn certainty, informed him.

He felt the weight of a thousand years or more pressing down upon him. The face of every boy ever wished his way flashed before his eyes. All had been transformed into goblins by his hand, except for the last one. He saw each of the girls named Sarah who had spoken the right words to get their baby brothers taken away. Those right words which he gifted to them by magical means in the form of a red leather-bound book. Hundreds of them crossed his path, eventually leaving behind what they failed to win back.

"_Time will be reordered, and the lost shall be returned,"_ the voice proclaimed.

Jareth wasn't sure he still possessed a corporeal form. It was as if he'd fallen into a dream state, and he watched as a glittering whirlwind blew through his ruined castle. The goblins cowered wherever they stood. None of them attempted to escape being engulfed by the swirling storm. Gasps of wonderment escaped their leathery lips as they were picked up by the sparkling breeze and carried away. One by one they disappeared, back to the lives they were once wished away from. None would remember their time as a goblin, except perhaps in their deepest darkest dreams. All the other creatures that dwelled in the nooks and crannies of the Labyrinth were spirited away to pastures new. The ruined kingdom crumbled to dust and the walled maze folded in on itself, sinking beneath the stagnant water of the bog from which it was once raised.

"What is to become of me?"

The Goblin King asked, feeling he was no more than a shadow. His title was now obsolete as he no longer had any subjects or domain to rule over.

"_You brought this fate down upon your own head with your unquenchable thirst for vengeance against a wrong that could never be set right. For many years, you were lost to madness, searching for your original Sarah. When, in your heart, you knew she was already dead and gone. But now, you've been gifted a second chance by an innocent girl who believed in you. She accepted your challenge and she won. In doing so, she broke the curse you'd set upon yourself and all those around you. Your search is over, and it is done," _the voice declared.

Jareth could feel his magic seeping away and the burden of centuries of bitterness was lifted. He was so weary; all he wanted to do was sleep, forever.

"Alkazar, am I dying?" He gasped; his voice but a mere whisper on the wind.

"_All mortals are dying, it is what they were born to do, and so shall you, but not yet…"_

The words faded into the black void that was consuming everything Jareth once was.

His world had fallen down, and he was falling still.

* * *

><p>Sarah Williams made her way along the crisp frozen streets to the hospital where she worked. It was starting to get light, and so far, hers were the only feet to have made indentations in the freshly fallen snow. The grey sky was full of white fluffy clouds that kept bursting into occasional flurries. It brought to mind memories of pillow fights with her baby brother. Occasionally, the seams would split, sending white feathers billowing out into the air.<p>

Toby, the child she'd once selfishly wished away, was now thirteen. They were close when he was younger, but an influx of teenage hormones had left him taciturn and surly of late. It seemed he only wanted to hang out with his friends, and he didn't have much time for an older sister with a tendency to coddle him. Sarah hoped he would one day emerge from his difficult phase, as she once did. Sometimes, she thought a return trip to the Labyrinth would do him the world of good, but she knew better than to speak the words out loud.

Her childhood dream of following in her mother's footsteps to become a famous Broadway actress soon crumbled. Reviews for her performances in college plays, branding her wooden and hammy, led to much soul searching. Her lofty childhood ambitions shrank with age and experience, eventually giving way to more practical career choices. The desire to help others became her driving force, and Sarah decided to pursue a career in medicine. It was the right call, and she never looked back. Now, aged twenty-seven, she was an ER nurse. She filled her lonely free time with volunteer work, helping anyone and everyone who was down on their luck.

Sarah had never been short of male admirers, being beautiful both inside and out. She tried hard to make relationships work, but a broken engagement was the latest in a long line of her romantic failures. When it came down to it, the men in her life always felt more for her than she did for them. It was as if there was something missing with every guy she'd dated, and none of them could completely fill the empty space inside of her. Sarah didn't know who she was searching for, only that she hadn't found him yet.

Her breath came out in bursts of white fog as she shivered against the icy breeze. It was a relief when she finally reached the entrance to the ER, and a warm blast of air hit her.

"Hey, Tony," Sarah greeted the desk clerk at the door.

He was finishing up giving directions to a discharged patient, but he winked at her.

"Well, now, if it isn't our very own Snow White," he teased.

Her love of fairy tales was well known among the hospital staff. She could often be found reading to the younger patients, and sometimes the older ones too, during her break times.

"Which of the seven dwarfs are you?" Sarah teased; Tony was as camp as Christmas and twice as colourful.

"I'm Horny, of course, and still waiting for my Prince Charming, the same as you," he chuckled.

She joined in his laughter as she followed him into the reception area. It was busier than usual, which was to be expected with the cold winter weather really starting to bite. A pair of bright blue eyes watched her from afar. Unbeknown to Sarah, he was biding his time and would make his introduction soon enough. She recognised a few homeless people from her occasional stints volunteering at a nearby soup kitchen. Figuring they were likely more in need of a warm place to rest and take shelter, rather than seeking medical treatment, she didn't begrudge them that. Instead, her heart went out to them. She had a comfortable two-bedroomed apartment to call her own, and these people had nothing. Her ex-fiancé mocked her charitable endeavours, dubbing her Saint Sarah, which was one more reason she wasn't sorry they broke up. Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, she'd told him. Twelve years ago, she got a whole bunch of them.

The Labyrinth and its inhabitants were long gone from her life, but the lessons Sarah learned stayed with her. During the party to celebrate her victory, the Wise Man told her, "_Sometimes, to need is to let go." _After that night, the childhood clutter she'd been clinging onto was gradually reduced. Precious keepsakes were carefully packed away and meaningless junk given to Goodwill. But there were some things she didn't need to let go of, like Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius, because, although she hadn't seen them since the night of the party, they would always be a part of her. And then there was Jareth; her teenage fantasies were fuelled exclusively by him for many years after their encounter. She would never regret choosing Toby over him. But the older Sarah got, the more she realised exactly what she'd turned down. The Goblin King initiated her sexual awakening and left her with an itch no other man could satisfactorily scratch. It was easier for children to believe in the existence of magic in the world; she would often muse because they are open to all kinds of possibilities. Usually, the older a person got, the more closed off they became until their minds were as narrow as their beliefs. Sarah worked hard to keep hold of the little bit of magic in her heart.

"Hey, girl, you got your head in the clouds again?" Sharonda, a fellow nurse, pulled her from her reverie.

"Always," Sarah confirmed with a smile.

Her colleague was a middle-aged woman with a big personality and heart to match. The two of them got on well; Sharonda was always looking out for her and trying to set her up on dates. It was an endeavour that was unsolicited and not always welcome, but Sarah knew her friend meant well.

"Any interesting cases come in?" She inquired as she divested of her thick dark green winter coat and matching scarf.

"The usual, but we got ourselves a John Doe in curtain three. Officer Ramos brought him in around an hour ago; Mario said they found him semi-conscious in Owl's Head Park, naked as the day he was born and freezing his tail-feathers off. Ain't that park close to your apartment?" Sharonda asked as she shuffled through a stack of files.

"Yeah, pretty close," Sarah shrugged at the coincidence as she headed off to the staff room to stash her things in her locker.

"You should know, John Doe is real cute," her friend called after her. "Maybe he's single?"

She rolled her eyes; another deadbeat was the last thing she needed. Her ex-fiancé, Frankie, was one of the walking wounded when she met him. The lead singer in a rock band during his free time and a freeloader the rest of the time, he was charming and charismatic. Sadly, he was also incapable of staying faithful to one woman.

Sharonda was persistent; she hovered about as her young colleague started her shift. "Here," she thrust a set of notes in her hand. "Why don't you go check on John Doe? The poor thing don't remember nothing about who he is or where he's from." The older nurse was full of sympathy for the mystery man.

Knowing her friend wasn't going to let the matter drop, Sarah took the clipboard and began to trudge reluctantly towards the curtain area.

"He's got a real sexy accent; British, I think, and the strangest blue eyes I ever saw." Sharonda's voice echoed after her making her blood run cold.

Stepping closer to the closed drapes around the mystery patient's bed, she reached out with a shaky hand. _It's not him, _Sarah told herself, as she tugged at the fabric, creating an opening wide enough to peek through. A blond-haired man with a slim build lay underneath the white sheets with his back to her. She felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach as she traced the outline of his lithe body with her eyes. He shifted about in his sleep and she sucked in a breath as she watched him turn over to face her.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, dropping the notes onto the floor.

Sharonda was hovering close by and she rushed over to help pick up the papers.

"You alright, honey? Only you look like you've just seen a ghost," she fussed.

Sarah couldn't speak; the Goblin King was the last person she ever expected to see again, and certainly not in a hospital bed. Twelve years later, and he looked just the same, except his wild blond hair was shorter and tamer. His pale skin stood out against the surgical green of the hospital gown. He wore no makeup and looked almost human, although not quite. There was still an otherness about him.

"I'm fine, really," she gulped, attempting to wave away her friend's concerns.

Jareth blinked into consciousness and gazed at her; a spark of recognition flaring in his odd eyes.

"Do I know you?" He questioned as he eased himself up on his elbows.

He had a strong feeling he'd met this dark-haired beauty before, although he knew not where or when.

Sarah struggled to regain her composure and professional detachment. Getting the machine ready to take his blood pressure, she realised was going to have to touch him.

"The more pertinent question should be; do you know me?" Jareth gave her a hopeful smile.

He was captivated by her green eyes, which made him think of summer meadows.

She didn't answer either inquiry. Drawing in a deep breath, she wrapped the Velcro-fastening cuff tightly around his arm.

"Inconveniently, I seem to have forgotten who I am, you see," he murmured, not appearing to notice her failure to respond.

Sarah was reminded of a sad lost puppy dog by his melancholy demeanour. Having never seen his hands without gloves, she found herself entranced by the sight of his long tapered fingers.

Thankful that he appeared too distracted to notice her staring, she gave herself a shake.

"You don't remember anything?" She questioned, scrutinising his face for any tell-tale signs of deception.

He was achingly attractive, but she couldn't let herself forget who he was, even if he had.

Jareth shook his head with a puzzled frown as he tried to piece together the fragments of memories that were haunting him. When he closed his eyes, the faces of strange creatures emerged out from the darkness.

"I see a strange high castle and a sprawling maze, they are familiar and yet I do not know where they are to be found," he sighed.

It was as if he was trying to hold onto the silken threads of a dream that were swiftly being carried away on a breeze and out of his grasp.

The blood pressure machine beeped, startling Sarah out of her thoughts of another time and place.

"Try and get some more rest, I'll be back later to check on you."

She unfastened the cuff from his arm and scribbled a quick note on his chart.

"Wait," Jareth grabbed her hand, "please."

They were both forced to catch their breath as a tingling sensation passed through them at the skin on skin contact. He frowned as if he was remembering something. His elegant eyebrows tilted as he concentrated on an image in his mind's eye.

"Dancing," he murmured, hearing the ghostly echoes of a slow love song in his head. "I see us dancing."

Sarah pulled her hand away from his; half wanting to run far away, and half wanting to join him on the bed.

"Rest and I'll be back later," she promised, eager to remove herself from temptation.

Jareth obeyed, he sank back against the pillows and closed his eyes.

She drew the curtain; her knuckles grew white as she balled her hands into fists to stop them shaking. The Goblin King was right there; after twelve years, he'd returned. She didn't know why, and neither did he, apparently.

"Multiple trauma cases incoming from an RTA," Tony yelled from the desk.

It was all hands on deck, and Sarah snapped back into gear. Figuring out what was going on with a magical being from another world would have to wait.

* * *

><p>It was hours later when Sarah finally got a moment to herself. Thoughts of the Goblin King had been pushed to the back of her mind as she got on with her job. He wasn't forgotten, though. She caught herself stealing glances in his direction whenever the opportunity arose. Once or twice, she got the feeling someone was watching her, and she looked around for the culprit. There was a short, elderly man in the waiting area with bright blue eyes that were somehow familiar to her. He avoided meeting her gaze, but Sarah was sure he was surreptitiously keeping tabs on her.<p>

Steeling herself to go and check on Jareth, she was surprised when she got to the curtain area to find his bed was empty.

"Looking for Mister-Sexy-No-Pants?" Sharonda was passing by and noticed her young friend's alarm over the missing mystery patient.

"Quit it, I just promised to check on him, is all," Sarah huffed.

"Sure you did, honey." The older nurse nodded and tried to suppress a smirk. "They took him upstairs to a private room."

Sarah let out a breath she didn't even realise she was holding.

"He's someone else's problem now, I guess." She tried to feign disinterest.

Her friend gave her a sly wink, which made her blush.

"Huh-uh, you won't want to know he's in room thirteen then, will you?" Sharonda grinned as she walked away.

Sarah was due her break time and figured it wouldn't hurt to look in on him. Proceeding to the elevator, she could have sworn it was empty when she stepped inside. She hit the button for the first floor, and when she turned around, she found she had company. The old man with leathery skin, white hair, and bright blue eyes, who'd been watching her from the waiting area, was stood smiling at her. He was much shorter than Sarah, forcing her to look down on him.

"Do I know you?" She questioned, having a strong feeling that they'd met somewhere before.

"You do and you don't," he replied, mischievously as he waggled his bushy eyebrows.

Sarah narrowed her eyes with suspicion, which turned to alarm, as the lights flickered and the elevator ground to a halt.

"Hey, what's going on? Who are you?" She demanded to know as she loomed over him, making him appear even smaller than he was.

"Don't you knows your old friend?" He smiled sheepishly, his voice suddenly so familiar.

Sarah gazed deeply into his bright blue eyes, and her own grew wide with shock.

"Hoggle?" she gasped with recognition.

He nodded and bashfully bowed his head.

"But how?" she could scarcely allow herself to believe it, he looked so human.

"My real name is Alkazar. I was bound by a magic spell for centuries. My physical being was transformed into the dwarf you knew as Hoggle, while my powers were harnessed and contained within an amulet which was worn around the Goblin King's neck," he explained.

"What? I don't understand, how come you never mentioned any of this before?" Sarah wondered if she might be hallucinating, it was all so bizarre.

"Until you broke the curse and freed me, I didn't know the truth about myself. I had no memory of my past life or the words I'd set against Jareth until you solved the Labyrinth and won your brother back." He appeared to be in earnest, but she was more confused than ever. "Why don't I start at the very beginning?" Alkazar said, observing the puzzled look on her face.

She nodded; that was usually the best place to begin.

"Once upon a time, I was known throughout the lands as the most powerful sorcerer who ever lived. I trained many of the greats, such as Merlin Ambrosius, who I know you're familiar with. One day, I was passing through a village, a long way from here, when I chanced to meet a young peasant boy. I could tell right away that strong magic coursed through his veins. He begged me to take him on as my young apprentice, and I agreed. The boy was a quick study, and after a short time, his powers rivalled mine. Years passed and he grew into a beguilingly handsome man, gaining admirers wherever we went. It came to pass, that one day, we happened upon a village where a young woman lived with her father, stepmother and baby brother. The dark-haired beauty caught the eye of my young apprentice and he fell madly in love with her, and she with him. He begged for her hand in marriage, but her father refused to part with her, as she was practically the stepmother's slave. As fate would have it, we were called to another place on business. The young woman promised she would try and persuade her father to change his mind while we were gone. Travel to a far off land meant we were away for longer than expected, and it was almost a year before we returned to the village. My young apprentice was eager to see his lady love again, and he went directly to call on her. He was met by the woman's stepmother who informed him that during the winter, his sweetheart caught a chill while washing her brother's clothes and succumbed to a high fever. Unable to accept she was dead, he accused them of hiding her from him. It was inconceivable to him that something as mundane as influenza could put an end to her forever. He became a man possessed, searching through spells and books on dark magic until he found what he needed. I tried to calm him, to reason with him, but I knew he was lost to the madness of his grief. He swore that someday he would find his lost love, and when he did, he would need a kingdom fit for his queen when she returned to him. His plan was to send out a magical book to young women who matched the description of his beloved. Each girl would be compelled to wish away their troublesome baby brothers to him, and he would turn them into goblins if the girl failed the quest. His will was stronger than mine, and all I could do was to set my words against him as he cast his spell. Words have power, and I said that if a worthy girl ever passed his test, then the curse he'd put upon us all would be broken. And finally, you came along. Jareth is no longer the Goblin King, he's mortal now and will remain so," Alkazar informed her as he smoothed back his wispy white hair.

Sarah was speechless, she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Somehow, she knew he spoke the truth, and it broke her heart.

"I don't understand," she eventually managed to find her voice again, "Why is he here?"

Alkazar gazed up at her; his blue eyes twinkling under his bushy brows.

"It was a Sarah he lost and it was a Sarah he found. You passed his test and set us all free." The old sorcerer was full of gratitude and admiration.

"What about all those other girls, the ones who failed, and their baby brothers? I know Jareth was driven to insanity by heartbreak, but he ruined the lives of so many others in the process." She couldn't reconcile that part of his actions.

Alkazar gave her a warm smile, his features imbued with serenity.

"When you broke the curse, the goblins were restored to their original forms, and I reordered time to place them all back where they belonged. The other denizens of the Labyrinth were returned to their old homes or given new ones. I could have turned Jareth to dust along with his fallen Kingdom, but I decided he should get a second chance too," he explained.

Sarah was aghast and she didn't know what to think or feel.

"Why send him here after all this time to someplace where I would find him?" she inquired.

The old sorcerer's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Your adventure happened twelve years ago for you, but for him, it was only yesterday. In mortal terms, you were too young for what he wanted back then. But now, you're all grown up," he winked.

Sarah blushed at the implication; her attraction to Jareth was undeniable. But in light of all she'd learned, she wasn't sure her feelings for him could ever blossom into love.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, scowling with suspicion.

There was an explosion of glitter, and Alkazar was left holding a brown leather pouch in one hand and a crystal ball in the other.

"I'm offering you a choice," he said. "I'm putting Jareth's fate in your hands, as he once held your fate in his."

"No," Sarah protested, backing away as far as she could to the cold steel of the elevator walls. "I don't want that responsibility."

"You won; it is your right as champion." Alkazar's tone was uncompromising. "In this pouch is everything Jareth needs to live a mortal life; a birth certificate, a passport, a bank account, it's all in there." He held the brown leather bag aloft.

She eyed it warily, making no move to take it, "And the crystal?" Sarah questioned, her stomach lurching over the possibilities.

Alkazar frowned; it wasn't something he took lightly, even after everything the Goblin King had put him through.

"It will return him to the moment you defeated him and he will crumble to dust along with his ruined Kingdom," he gravely informed her.

It was too much for her to process; she sank to the floor and closed her eyes, only to find Jareth's face behind them. Her mind replayed their final showdown in the ruins of the Escher room, when she told him he had no power over her. But surely, if that were true, she wouldn't have cherished the memory of him for twelve years. She certainly wouldn't have thrilled at the feeling of his skin on hers, when he'd grabbed her hand in the ER. If she felt nothing at all for him, his strange eyes wouldn't captivate her so and make her want to lose herself in them. His touch was magical, mortal or not. No other man had ever made her feel so much from so little contact.

"Will he remember who he was?" Sarah questioned, reasoning it might be better if he didn't.

"Yes, he'll know, but it will fade like a dream over time, for both of you," the old sorcerer said, suspecting she'd already made her choice.

"I don't know what to do." Putting her head in her hands, she heaved a weary sigh. "Part of me has always wanted him." Her honesty shocked her.

Alkazar gave her a sympathetic glance and held the brown leather pouch out for her to take. Reaching out, she stopped just short of grasping it.

"I once called you a friend, and I meant it, so please tell me honestly, can Jareth and I ever make each other happy?" Sarah withdrew her hand. "I'm not the one he lost, the one he loved," she wailed with despair.

"Aren't you?" he asked, rhetorically. "None of the others believed in him and his kingdom, the way you did. He could see you were special from the first moment he set eyes on you. Do you think he visited all the other girls in his owl form or begged them to stay with him?" Alkazar did not doubt Jareth's feelings for her were real.

Sarah wanted to follow her heart, but she'd been burned too many times.

"Even if that were true, we're practically strangers, familiarity can breed contempt, not love," she argued.

"I can show you a possible future, the rest is up to you," he said as he spun the crystal in his hand until an image began to form.

Sarah watched with fascination, and slowly, a joyful smile spread across her pretty face. Taking the pouch without further hesitation, she clasped it tightly to her chest.

"The choice is made," Alkazar happily declared.

"What happens next?" she questioned, noting with astonishment that the hands on her watch hadn't moved on one second since the elevator came to a halt.

"It's time for me to go." The old sorcerer flicked his wrist making the crystal ball vanish in a small puff of glitter.

Blinking back her tears, she forced a hopeful smile.

"Will I ever see you again?"

He shrugged, and then gave her a wink.

"Probably not, but you never know, if you should ever need me..."

Sarah let him help her up onto her feet and she pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

"Thank you," she gasped.

"Jareth is one lucky rat," Alkazar chuckled. "Now go, and live happily ever after."

She saluted him as the elevator whirred back to life and she was left alone, holding her future in her hands.

* * *

><p>"Enter," Jareth's voice rang out in answer to the knock on the door of his hospital room.<p>

Sarah was forced to suppress a smile as she stepped inside and found him toying with a bowl of lime green jello.

"I would sooner drink a goblet full of bog water," he declared, pushing it away in disgust.

His memory had obviously returned.

"How are you feeling?" she tentatively inquired, taking in his sullen expression.

"Ordinary," Jareth bluntly replied, each of his words dripping with contempt, "Disgustingly, wretchedly, hopelessly human."

His regal poise, odd eyes and pale otherworldly good looks, marked him out as anything but ordinary.

Sarah sat down beside him on the bed and set the brown leather pouch she'd been clutching to her chest on the nightstand.

"Is it really so bad, being human, I mean?" She asked, resting her hand a few inches from his.

Jareth's fingers twitched, longing to close the gap between them.

"I don't belong here," he sighed and drew back from her.

Sarah ached to see him looking so defeated; she grasped his hand and entwined her fingers with his.

"You belong with me," she announced, to his surprise.

He gazed longingly into the pale green jewels that were her eyes. She was older, he could see that now. Her beauty had blossomed and grown from the sweet promise of her youth. This woman deserved someone who could move the stars for her, not the shadow of a once powerful being.

"I have nothing left to offer you," Jareth lamented flexing his free hand, knowing he would never again feel magic flowing through his fingertips.

Sarah shook her head in admonishment.

"You know that's not true, you can still give me my dreams," she said as she edged a little closer to him.

The indefinable empty space inside her that no man was ever able to fill, had now found its missing piece, of that she was sure. Her gaze lingered on his sensual lips as she waited for him to make his move.

Jareth was beginning to think being human might not be so bad after all. When Sarah was by his side, he didn't feel lost or alone anymore. He closed the gap between them, his mouth tentatively seeking hers. Their tender first kiss soon deepened, until they were wrapped in each other's arms, and in danger of activating the former-Goblin-King's blood pressure alarm.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were left panting for breath.

"Alkazar came to see me," Sarah said, and seeing the fear in his eyes, she quickly sought to reassure him. "He told me everything, and it's okay, I understand why you did what you did." She kept a reassuring hold on his hand.

"I was insane." He was filled with remorse and he turned his head away in shame.

"Alkazar thought you deserved a second chance, despite everything, and you know what? I do too." Sarah coaxed him to meet her gaze. "He gave me a choice, and I chose you." She reached for the leather pouch. "We can be happy together, Jareth. I've seen a glimpse of our future and the family we could have."

"Children?" his face lit up at the prospect.

She smiled and nodded in confirmation.

"Will you consent to calling our firstborn Jareth?" He was quite serious.

"Oh, brother," Sarah exclaimed as she rolled her eyes and opened the pouch.

_What would her surname be if they got married? _She wondered.

"What is that?" He questioned as she pulled out a bundle of documents from the bag.

Sarah carefully unfolded the birth certificate and broke into a grin.

"Mister Jareth Ratner, aged - - thirty-five, pleased to make your acquaintance," she giggled.

He scowled as he flicked through the various papers authenticating his human status.

"A million US dollars," he sighed disinterestedly as he cast aside a bank statement and gold credit card.

"What?" Sarah gasped, snatching it up to see for herself.

"I suppose, I'm practically a beggar," Jareth glanced down with distaste at his hospital gown and longed for his regal finery.

Her mouth was hanging open in shock and she snapped her jaw shut, sucking in a deep breath before replying.

"Oh, let's just say it should help keep you in the manner to which you are accustomed."

He shrugged, knowing nothing of money, and caring less.

"I'll try and find out when you can go home." Sarah's break time was over and she was due back at work.

Jareth looked despondent.

"I no longer have a home," he lamented.

Sarah smiled and leant over to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"Sure you do," she informed him. "You're quite the catch, you know, Mister Ratner."

**THE END.**


End file.
